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Hillcrest Elementary School

Q: Is Hillcrest Elementary School a good school?

Hillcrest Elementary School ranks 136 th of 491 Arkansas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

136^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 491 Arkansas Elementary Schools

Better than 72% of Arkansas elementary schools

Summary

Hillcrest Elementary School in Strawberry, AR, is a small, high-performing PK-6 school serving 263 students within the Hillcrest School District, and it stands out for achieving strong academic results despite serving a high-poverty community where 84.4% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

One of the school’s most impressive strengths is its exceptional science performance. In the most recent school year, 65.5% of Hillcrest students were proficient in science—a remarkable 21.5 percentage points above the state average. This is the highest science proficiency rate among all nearby schools, surpassing even Tuckerman Elementary School (63.5%) and Sulphur Rock Magnet Elementary School (58.8%). Hillcrest also shows a clear upward trend in English Language Arts and Reading, with proficiency rising steadily over the last three years. This positive momentum is a key differentiator, as many neighboring schools like Sloan-Hendrix Elementary School and Cedar Ridge Elementary School have seen scores stagnate or decline.

Hillcrest invests heavily in its students, with a per-student spending of $15,530 and a low student-teacher ratio of 15.1:1, which is better than the state average and many peers. A fascinating highlight is the school’s 6th-grade math performance: a staggering 73.1% proficiency rate, which is 28 points above the state average and the highest math score for any grade at the school. This suggests a highly effective teacher or specialized curriculum at that level. Overall, Hillcrest is a resilient school that effectively uses its resources to achieve results that rival or surpass larger, more affluent districts, making it a standout choice for families in the area.

263

Students ?

15.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,530

Per pupil spending ?

84.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

146 S. Main Street
Strawberry, AR 72469

(870) 376-5416

District: Hillcrest School District

Students who attend Hillcrest Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Hillcrest High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

95.4%

Two or more races:

3.8%

African American:

0.4%

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Compare Hillcrest Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 79th percentile in 2016 → 72nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Arkansas average (53% vs 42% meeting standards)

✓Above the Arkansas median (72nd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school53%

District avg50%

Arkansas avg42%

136^th of 491

Arkansas public elementary schools ?

Top 28%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From top 21% (2016) to top 28% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Arkansas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

79^th of 251Hillcrest School District among Arkansas districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arkansas percentile	Rating
2026	71.4	136 of 491	72.3%	★★★★☆
2025	74.6	112 of 495	77.4%	★★★★☆
2024	67.7	152 of 497	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	78.0	89 of 492	81.9%	★★★★☆
2022	59.4	211 of 487	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	80.0	78 of 496	84.3%	★★★★☆
2019	63.0	194 of 488	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.2	180 of 480	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	70.2	124 of 485	74.4%	★★★★☆
2016	71.9	105 of 494	78.7%	★★★★☆
2015	60.4	155 of 466	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	58.5	208 of 471	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	47.2	305 of 476	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	53.7	261 of 468	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	57.1	237 of 471	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2010	55.6	240 of 457	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	56.9	222 of 445	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	64.6	173 of 439	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	72.9	104 of 440	76.4%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Arkansas (2025-2026) ?

Science66%+21 vs state

Reading49%+8 vs state

Mathematics49%+5 vs state

English Language Arts48%+8 vs state

5.0

1 rating

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4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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Schools Near Hillcrest Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				ATLAS English Language Arts (2026)					ATLAS Reading (2026)					ATLAS Mathematics (2026)					ATLAS Science (2026)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ATLAS English Language Arts 3rd Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts 5th Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts 6th Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts All Grades	ATLAS Reading 3rd Grade	ATLAS Reading 4th Grade	ATLAS Reading 5th Grade	ATLAS Reading 6th Grade	ATLAS Reading All Grades	ATLAS Mathematics 3rd Grade	ATLAS Mathematics 4th Grade	ATLAS Mathematics 5th Grade	ATLAS Mathematics 6th Grade	ATLAS Mathematics All Grades	ATLAS Science 3rd Grade	ATLAS Science 4th Grade	ATLAS Science 5th Grade	ATLAS Science 6th Grade	ATLAS Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Hillcrest Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	146 S. Main Street	Strawberry	72469	Lawrence County	Hillcrest School District	No	No	No	Yes	(870) 376-5416	263	17	15.1	84.4%	251 (95.4%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.8%)	71.4	136^th of 491 public elementary schools	72.3%		74.6	112^th of 495 public elementary schools	77.4%	24	31.0	46.4	53.3	61.5	47.7	44.8	46.4	50.0	53.8	48.7	34.4	42.9	46.7	73.1	48.7	51.7	71.4	66.6	73.1	65.5	$15,530	$2,445	$13,084
Cave City Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	711 N. Main	Cave City	72521	Sharp County	Cave City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(870) 283-5393	605	40	15.2	75.5%	560 (92.6%)	19 (3.1%)	13 (2.1%)	4 (0.7%)	6 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	59.2	203^rd of 491 public elementary schools	58.7%		68.5	149^th of 495 public elementary schools	69.9%	54	54.3	33.6	50.0		45.4	55.6	32.6	50.0		45.4	60.5	31.5	36.4		42.5	45.7	46.6	53.3		48.3	$12,797	$2,373	$10,423
Tuckerman Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	300 N Dowell St	Tuckerman	72473	Jackson County	Jackson County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(870) 349-2312	468	29	15.9	79.1%	412 (88.0%)	24 (5.1%)	13 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.1%)	83.8	58^th of 491 public elementary schools	88.2%		59.4	202^nd of 495 public elementary schools	59.2%	144	55.0	57.2			56.2	50.0	54.6			52.6	65.0	62.4			63.5	70.0	58.5			63.5	$14,390	$1,943	$12,448
Sulphur Rock Magnet Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	480 N Main St	Batesville	72501	Independence County	Batesville School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(870) 799-3149	333	20	16.7	45.0%	284 (85.3%)	9 (2.7%)	25 (7.5%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	10 (3.0%)	80.2	80^th of 491 public elementary schools	83.7%		66.8	154^th of 495 public elementary schools	68.9%	74	45.7	55.6	52.8		51.4	45.7	47.2	52.8		48.6	82.9	63.9	66.6		71.1	71.4	50.0	55.6		58.8	$17,408	$1,520	$15,888
Sloan-Hendrix Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2 Greyhound Cir.	Imboden	72434	Lawrence County	Sloan Hendrix School District	No	No	No	Yes	(870) 869-2101	456	28	16.3	71.3%	440 (96.5%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.3%)	50	256^th of 491 public elementary schools	47.9%		47.9	272^nd of 495 public elementary schools	45.1%	16	34.4	37.9	28.9	38.9	34.9	34.4	37.9	28.8	37.0	34.5	64.1	58.6	50.8	44.5	54.9	51.6	43.1	38.9	37.0	43.0	$11,290	$1,531	$9,759
Cedar Ridge Elementary School	Public	K-5	3549 Cord Road	Newark	72562	Independence County	Cedar Ridge School District	No	No	No	Yes	(870) 201-2577	263	22	11.9	98.9%	245 (93.2%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.0%)	42.1	298^th of 491 public elementary schools	39.3%		60.1	196^th of 495 public elementary schools	60.4%	102	28.9	38.5	42.3		36.9	26.3	35.9	46.7		36.9	26.3	38.4	35.6		33.6	36.8	46.1	42.2		41.8	$16,961	$2,712	$14,249
Imboden Area Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	605 W. Third St	Imboden	72434	Lawrence County	Imboden Charter School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(870) 869-3015	70	5	14.0	14.3%	66 (94.3%)	1 (1.4%)	1 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)					22.2					37.0					14.8					18.5	$15,563	$1,999	$13,564

Frequently Asked Questions about Hillcrest Elementary School

Is Hillcrest Elementary School a good school?

Hillcrest Elementary School ranks 136^th of 491 Arkansas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Hillcrest Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 263 students attended Hillcrest Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Hillcrest Elementary School?

Students at Hillcrest Elementary School are 95% White, 4% Two or more races.

What district is Hillcrest Elementary School in?

Hillcrest School District

What schools do graduates of Hillcrest Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Hillcrest Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Hillcrest High School

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Latest Arkansas data All new data »

2025–26 ATLAS test scoresJul 13, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesMar 5, 2026

2019–20 through 2023–24 school spending dataJan 6, 2026

2017–18 through 2024–25 dropout ratesJan 6, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.